Ivanhoe Station
Encyclopedia
Ivanhoe or Ivanhoe Station is a pastoral lease and cattle
station
located just north of Kununurra
in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
.
Kununurra
was built on land resumed from Ivanhoe Station during 1961, as the town for the Ord River
Irrigation Area which started as the Ord River Project or Ord Scheme, with survey work starting in 1959.
The station occupies an area of 2954 sqkm and follows the bank of the Ord River as it flows from Lake Argyle
to Cambridge Gulf
over a distance of 35 kilometres (22 mi). The alluvial flats and black soil plains support rich stands of couch and buffel which make good grazing feed.
Ivanhoe and its neighbour Carlton Hills Station are able to support 50,000 head of cattle including 18,000 Brahman
breeders The station is able to turn off 9,000 steers per annum for live export to Asia and the Middle East.
Presently owned by the Consolidated Pastoral Company
the station was initially established by Patrick Durack
and his brother Michael who founded the station in 1893.
Kimberley Durack first experimented with growing cash crops in the fertile soil of the floodplains which later lead to the establishment of the Ord River Scheme. An experimental farm was established on the Ord in 1941 and then closed in 1945 when joint Commonwealth-State Research Station was completed at Ivanhoe. The station experimented with crops such as rice
, linseed and cane sugar for the next 12 years.
Ivanhoe Crossing, built in 1954 on a rocky outcrop to cross the Ord river, was featured in the film Australia
when Lady Sarah Ashley is brought to Faraway Downs station. The crossing is close to where the Duracks constructed the Ivanhoe Station homestead and the unusual sandstone
formation named, City of Ruins.
The local Indigenous Australians, the Miriuwung and the Gajerrong peoples are the traditional owners of the area. The labour force of the station was often provided by these peoples who lived and worked on the property often under terrible conditions. Aboriginal workers were often not paid wages and only received rations for their labour until the Pastoral Award was introduced in 1968. At Ivanhoe in 1961, 90 Aboriginal people were living in three huts.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
station
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
located just north of Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
was built on land resumed from Ivanhoe Station during 1961, as the town for the Ord River
Ord River
The Ord River is a 320-kilometre-long river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was named in honour of Harry Ord, Governor of Western Australia from 1877 to 1880....
Irrigation Area which started as the Ord River Project or Ord Scheme, with survey work starting in 1959.
The station occupies an area of 2954 sqkm and follows the bank of the Ord River as it flows from Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
to Cambridge Gulf
Cambridge Gulf
Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of Western Australia.Many rivers flow into the gulf including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River.The gulf experiences two large tidal flows each day between to...
over a distance of 35 kilometres (22 mi). The alluvial flats and black soil plains support rich stands of couch and buffel which make good grazing feed.
Ivanhoe and its neighbour Carlton Hills Station are able to support 50,000 head of cattle including 18,000 Brahman
Brahman (cattle)
The Brahman or Brahma is a breed of Zebu cattle , later exported from India to the rest of the world. The main breeds used were Kankrej, Gujurat, Nelore or Ongole and the Gir or Gyr cattle...
breeders The station is able to turn off 9,000 steers per annum for live export to Asia and the Middle East.
Presently owned by the Consolidated Pastoral Company
Consolidated Pastoral Company
The Consolidated Pastoral Company is a large, privately owned, Australian cattle company which operates 18 cattle stations covering over 57,000 km2, managing more than 350,000 cattle, in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland...
the station was initially established by Patrick Durack
Patrick Durack
Patrick Durack was a pastoral pioneer.His family were struggling tenant farmers from Magherareagh near Scarriff in County Clare, Ireland who moved from Ireland to New South Wales in 1853. Two months after arriving in New South Wales, his father, Michael was accidentally killed...
and his brother Michael who founded the station in 1893.
Kimberley Durack first experimented with growing cash crops in the fertile soil of the floodplains which later lead to the establishment of the Ord River Scheme. An experimental farm was established on the Ord in 1941 and then closed in 1945 when joint Commonwealth-State Research Station was completed at Ivanhoe. The station experimented with crops such as rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, linseed and cane sugar for the next 12 years.
Ivanhoe Crossing, built in 1954 on a rocky outcrop to cross the Ord river, was featured in the film Australia
Australia (2008 film)
Australia is a 2008 epic historical romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood...
when Lady Sarah Ashley is brought to Faraway Downs station. The crossing is close to where the Duracks constructed the Ivanhoe Station homestead and the unusual sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
formation named, City of Ruins.
The local Indigenous Australians, the Miriuwung and the Gajerrong peoples are the traditional owners of the area. The labour force of the station was often provided by these peoples who lived and worked on the property often under terrible conditions. Aboriginal workers were often not paid wages and only received rations for their labour until the Pastoral Award was introduced in 1968. At Ivanhoe in 1961, 90 Aboriginal people were living in three huts.